A’s reliever Evan Scribner lets his pitching do the talking

Evan Scribner is the silent weapon in the A’s bullpen. And when I say silent, I mean it. The guy doesn’t say all that much in a clubhouse that’s got some boisterous personalities. But he has come up big for the A’s in recent days, and he rang up his first major league victory in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers, throwing a 1-2-3 ninth and sending the game into extra innings. The A’s won it in the 10th with George Kottaras’ home run.

Scribner was one of those guys who flew under the radar on me in spring training. Every year, there are a couple guys who perform well but don’t necessarily stick out. Then all of a sudden, the team is getting ready to break camp, the roster is starting to form and you say, ‘Hey, he’s still here.’” Scribner accompanied the team to Japan, though he wasn’t on the active roster for that first series against the Mariners. He went to Triple-A Sacramento and didn’t get his first call-up this season until early June. He’s typically been a mop-up guy who gets in when the score is lopsided either for the A’s or against them. But he’s been called upon in clutch situations on this trip and responded. Scribner threw two shutout innings in that 14-inning marathon Saturday against the Yankees, then threw another scoreless inning Tuesday. A’s manager Bob Melvin was surprised to hear that Tuesday marked Scribner’s first career win. “It seems like he’s had more than that,” Melvin said.

Starting pitcher Tommy Milone sang Scribner’s praises after the game.

“He’s been huge for us. He came in in New York, and now here. Especially since we’ve had to use our bullpen a lot, guys like him have definitely stepped up and done their job.”

If Scribner keeps it up, he’ll earn the right to talk some trash like many of his wise-cracking teammates. I’ll believe it when I see it … or hear it